Finntervention
by wood-u-like-2-no
Summary: Puck can't just sit back when he might be able to help reunite Finn & Rachel. When he hears Rachel might go back to Jesse, he decides it's time to stage a "Finntervention". He didn't think he'd also learn a thing or two along the way, though.


**A/N - This came out of a conversation I had with a fellow author and just would NOT go away. So I took a break from my current multi-chapter fics to focus on this one-shot. And besides, it's a blast writing in Puck's voice. Takes place during the episode "New York" and how I thought Puck and the guys might have had a hand in things. **

**Disclaimer - Don't own Glee, blah blah blah, all belongs to FOX and the R.I.B. triumverate, yada yada yada. We all know. **

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><p>Finn grimaced and turned back to the desk. "I don't know if that's such a good idea."<p>

Puck rolled his eyes and got up from the couch he was lounging on. "What the fuck you mean, you don't think it's a good idea? This is fucking _**New York**_. This is Rachel's fucking dream...hell, _**you're **_the one who even told me how much this city and trip means to her. Now you're just gonna fuckin' sit there and write a song for her and moon all over your heartache and _**not **_take advantage that you're in the best possible place _**ever **_to win her back?"

Finn blew out a breath and continued writing lyrics on the page in front of him. "It's more complicated than that, Puck. I mean..." He shook his head and grabbed the rhyming dictionary. "Never mind."

"Shit!" Puck threw his hands in the air and walked over to where Finn was sitting. How could his friend be _**so **_stupid as to not even fucking _**try**_. The mohawked boy wasn't entirely sure what went down between Rachel and Finn after their breakup in late November, but he'd seen the side effects in both of them and they weren't good. Finn was mostly mopey and frankly a bit of an ass (being an ass himself, he could say that with expert knowledge). Rachel was wallowing in her own past mistakes and couldn't, it seemed, move past them in any way, shape or form.

This was _**not **_cool with him in the slightest.

Okay, so, yeah, he'd been one part of the equation of their breakup because he was talking to Rachel in her room and trying to help her feel better about Finn's lie regarding his virginity and then out of nowhere she pounced and started making out with him. His libido had kicked in for the first twenty seconds, but fuck, who's wouldn't? Rachel was sneaky hot and though he'd never admit this to Finn, she kissed like a Goddamn pro. But then the rest of his brain caught up to him and when he realized _**who **_was underneath him and _**why **_she was doing this, he high-tailed it out of there, intent on not doing to Finn (_**again**_) what he'd done the year before. He _**highly **_doubted Rachel would have actually followed through with anything anyway, and even if she had, that would have been yet another whole fucking _**nightmare**_ of complications he so did not need in his life.

Sure, he _**did **_follow through with Quinn, but there were huge differences in how he felt about Rachel and Quinn. Rachel was just that; _**Rachel**_. The girl who still had it in her to lecture him six ways from Sunday about Judaism and annoy him with endless prattling shit about Broadway and Tony awards and just _**not fucking stop talking**_! Quinn was blonde, beautiful, fiercely proud, smart as a whip, and the way her eyes lit up and she smiled when he bantered back and forth with her...

No, he wasn't going to go there in his mind about Quinn. He needed to focus on his best friend this time.

"Dude!" Puck ripped the rhyming dictionary out of Finn's hand and tossed it blindly away, hearing a grunt from Sam but still keeping his eyes trained on the quarterback. "What. The. Fuck. You fucking _**love**_ her, and don't deny it. You would never have broken up with Quinn if you weren't totally over the fucking moon for Rachel."

"Puck does have a point there." Sam agreed from behind them, idly flipping through the rhyming dictionary. "Quinn's pretty hot and awesome all around...you know, other than the whole cheating thing she seems to enjoy."

Mike suddenly chimed in from his spot on the chair while flipping through the television channels. "Fuck, I'm so glad I'm with Tina and get to avoid all this drama b.s."

"I've still got you beat." Artie looked up briefly from writing the music for an original song. "I've learned that having _**no**_ girlfriend has definite advantages. It's unfortunate all I'm dating is the 'Palm Sisters' right now, but they also don't give me any grief about wanting to play Xbox marathons."

Mike shook his head and rolled his eyes. "That was definitely TMI, dude."

Finn glanced at them all before crossing his arms, seeming to almost pout while looking at Puck. "You just aren't gonna leave this alone, are you?"

"Hell, no!" Puck shook his head even as he walked over to Finn's suitcase and released the clasps on it. With a couple flicks of his wrist, he opened it up and started tossing clothes out blindly over his head, ignoring where they landed. "Did you fucking pack it for this trip?"

"_**Puck!**_" Finn cried out exasperatedly as he caught an errant t-shirt and hoodie before they landed on the floor but missing four pair of socks and two other shirts. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Your suit, you fucktard. Your Mom _**always **_makes you pack it." Puck tossed out some toiletries, before pulling out a pair of Tazmanian Devil boxer shorts and holding them up for the room to see. "Nice. Didn't know you were planning to pop Berry's cherry on this trip, too."

Finn disgustedly ripped them from his hands and tossed them back in his suitcase, his face flaming red at the laughter which came from the guys. "I'm not even gonna have a _**chance **_at that if she and I don't get back together first, now am I?"

"So are you fucking onboard with this then?" Puck asked as he grinned in triumph and pulled out the black jacket and pants from the bottom of the suitcase. He held them up to Finn with a cheesy, mile wide grin. "Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man."

After a moment's hesitation, Finn ran a hand through his hair and finally pulled the suit out of Puck's hands and proceeded to the bathroom to hang it up. Puck, Sam and Mike gave him a mock cheer before Finn returned.

"Okay, fine. But...how do I do this?"

Puck looked at him seriously as though he were the dumbest person alive. He spoke slowly with over-exaggerated enunciation in his words. He pointed at Finn. "You." He drew a question mark in the air in front of Finn's face. "Ask." Puck held up Finn's cell phone which sported a picture of Rachel on the screen and pointed at it. "Her." He made a walking motion with his right hand on the palm of his left. "_**OUT! **_You want a fucking PowerPoint presentation, too?"

"Puck, it's just _**not **_that easy. I mean..." Finn blew out another breath of frustration. "She...she might be getting back together with Jesse."

Puck's eyebrows shot up in surprise and his mouth dropped of its own accord. When the fuck had _**this **_little development occurred? Normally he had his ear to the ground for any gossip regarding McKinley High students and the Glee Club or Football teams specifically. He swallowed and glanced to all of the other guys in the room, and all of them had suddenly turned and regarded Finn in utter shock. "What the fuck? Ex-squeeze me? Baking powder?" Puck cleaned out one of his ears. "I thought you just said our vegan loving, egg and chicken fearing midget of a lead singer is ready to go _**back **_to some fucking douche who humiliated her last year."

Finn sighed and nodded. "I wanted to talk to her in the auditorium last week, and I saw her and..._**St. Jackoff... **_kissing each other. She walked out the other entrance arm in arm with him."

Puck was so stunned at the revelation he couldn't do anything but stare at Finn in silence.

"What the fuck is she thinking?" Mike asked, completely appalled at the idea. "She's seriously just going to forgive and forget that he and Vocal Adrenaline cracked a couple dozen eggs all over her?"

"Not cool." Artie agreed, wheeling away from the desk and towards Puck and Finn. "I'm all for forgiveness, but some things you just can't overlook. This is one of them. He betrayed us, he humiliated Rachel. This calls for a serious intervention."

Puck grinned hugely at his geometry tutor. "You're absolutely right, Artie." Puck turned back to Finn. "And _**you're **_going to be that intervention, my man."

"What?"

"We've done it before." Puck shrugged and crossed his arms. "At the mall. We gave Rachel a 'Barbara-vention', remember?"

"Duh! Of course I remember, Ass-Munch." Finn crossed his own arms. "I helped you and Kurt plan it. But that was to keep her from doing harm to herself."

"Well this is too! You don't think dating St. Jackass is a recipe for causing harm to yourself? We have to do this." Puck grinned wickedly as he put a hand on Finn's shoulder. "Only this time, we're giving Rachel a..._**Finntervention**_."

Finn scrunched his eyebrows together at his friend as the rest of the guys started chuckling at the pun. "That was seriously, _**seriously **_bad, you know. And there's no guarantee this will even work."

Puck slapped him on the shoulder with the back of his hand. "Hey, enough of the defeatist attitude, beyotch. Remember what Coach Beiste always tells us."

Mike cast the two boys a confused look. "Make sure the A5-35 is well away from your jock strap?"

"Drop and give me thirty?" Sam offered from where he sat.

"I'm a genius for incorporating a paraplegic kid into my plays?" Artie asked.

Puck rolled his eyes again. "No, dumb-asses. _**Keep focused and stay positive**_." Puck turned back to Finn. "So answer me this; you want to keep watching Rachel kiss St. Jerkface, or would you rather she be sucking _**your **_face?"

"What the hell do _**you **_think?" Finn scoffed at his friend.

Puck nodded and grinned again. "Wise decision. Now, we just have to plan." He turned to the others. "What's the one thing that girls love more than anything?"

"Shoes." Mike raised his hand.

"Shopping." Sam offered as he crossed his arms.

"Not to play video games and ignore them." Artie contributed. "Or chocolate and ice cream if it's that time of the month."

"Jesus, you guys are fucking_** useless**_." Puck shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand as though in pain from their answers. "How any of you got past first base with a chick is beyond me." Puck swung back to Finn. "You know the answer though, right?"

Finn smiled a bit even as he uncrossed his arms. "Being treated like royalty."

"Right!" Puck agreed as he clapped Finn on the shoulder and steered them back over to where Finn was writing lyrics. He pulled over Finn's laptop computer and opened it up. "So, royal treatment means nice clothes, nice meal, nice flowers, all that sorta shit."

The tall quarterback frowned a bit as he watched Puck start up the internet. "Well, I have the suit, so that covers the clothes. For nice meal, I could always take her to this place she kept talking about when we were together. It was in the theatre district and the Tonys started there or something. Sarid's, I think?"

Puck's hands flew over the keyboard on Google and then pulled up the results. "Close, Frankenteen. It's called _Sardi's_." Puck scrolled down through the menu as Sam and Mike came over to join the other two boys. "Prices are a bit steep, but it ain't impossible if you're willing to spend some of your savings."

Finn nodded as he leaned over Puck's shoulder to look at the webpage, and the mohawked boy could tell his tall friend was starting to get more excited by the idea. "Do we need a reservation, though? It's in the theatre district and could be busy."

"Make it an early dinner." Mike suggested, rubbing his chin in thought as he saw everything flash on the screen. "Say around five or so? You might be able to avoid the dinner crowd that way."

"I'd say take her to a show after, but I'm sure Mr. Schue would have a fucking conniption if you guys came back so late." Sam offered. "You could, though, walk around to all the theatres and just kind of soak it in. I have a feeling Rachel would be all over that idea. And Times Square isn't far away."

"A walking tour of the theatre district?" Finn smiled a bit as he nodded at the others. "Oh yeah, she'd eat that up faster than vegan ice cream."

Mike pointed at the Google map on the screen. "And meet her here." He indicated the bridge over the pond in Central Park. "Nice and calm and peaceful where you guys can meet before you go back into the craziness of the downtown area. Besides, you know once you get into the theatre district she won't hear a word you say until you guys have dinner."

Finn shrugged slightly, his demenor changing to one of playfulness as a smile graced his features. "If I want to treat her like royalty, I can't worry 'bout little things like _**talking**_ to her."

"Talking's over-rated." Puck shook his head and made a face at the whole idea. "Not like you and she can't read each other's minds anyway. And it's really fucking creepy to watch that going down, you know."

"Preach!" Artie shouted from the table where he was again writing music, reminding the four boys he was there in the room.

Puck smirked at Artie before getting up and turning to the Glee Co-Captain. "So, whatcha say, man? Ready to offer her a _**Finndecent**_ proposal?"

Finn gave him his trademarked half-grin and his eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the computer screen. Puck was about ready to whoop with joy at convincing his friend to do _**something **_regarding the perpetual funk he'd been in lately, and Puck knew it wasn't as easy as just playing Xbox and smack talking back and forth with him anymore.

Suddenly Finn turned questioning eyes on him. "Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you helping me with all of this?" Finn asked, his tone genuinely curious as he motioned towards the computer. "Honestly, man, I didn't think you cared at all. Why are you helping me get back together with her?"

Puck blew out a noisy breath and ran a hand over his Mohawk. "I...'cause I fucked around with you the last two years, man, and I shouldn't have. I mean, I always figured you and Quinn would run its course, even without me around, but with Rachel...I'm half the reason things are so fucked up between you two now. You _**really**_ love her, so I'm trying to...atone for my fucking sins or something, 'kay? And besides," Puck grinned and slapped Finn's shoulder with the back of his hand, "it's not like _**I'm **_ever gonna tap Berry, but she needs someone to do it soon because she's wound up tighter than a fucking piano string."

Although this garnered yet another shit-eating grin out of the tall quarterback, Mike and Sam stared at Puck open mouthed and in shock before Sam broke the silence. "Wow! Puck! The concern and care you have for your friends is just truly touching. Like, literally dripping off you in spades."

"Fuck you, Blondie. I care. Wouldn't be doing this shit if I didn't."

"Debatable." Mike countered, talking more to Sam than Puck. "But let's assume he's telling the truth for once."

Puck tossed Finn's cell phone to him and then leaned against the desk and crossed his arms while speaking in a fake Scottish accent. "Time to text the young lass, laddie."

Finn swallowed and punched the message into the keys. He looked at each of the other boys in turn before pressing the send button, then put the phone back on the desk. "Hope this works."

"It will. Now go shower 'cause you've been smelling like a fucking gym sock ever since our workout this morning." Puck pointed to the bathroom, and Finn grumbled but complied and went in to do as he was told. Puck grinned again as the door closed, then turned to the others. "Okay, he doesn't have much time. Artie," Puck reached into Finn's suitcase and pulled out a red tie before tossing it to the boy in the wheelchair. "Tie a tie for him, would you? Finn's fucking useless at it. Mike, Sam," Puck reached back into Finn's suitcase for Finn's good shoes. He tossed one to each of the other boys. "Shine those up a bit."

Mike and Sam both caught a shoe and Mike went over to his own suitcase to pull out some shoe polish and a couple of brushes. "And what are you gonna do?"

Puck pulled on his letterman jacket and grabbed his cell phone before grinning at his friends. "Flower duty!"

**XXXXX**

Fifteen minutes later Puck returned to the hotel room with a bouquet of flowers and a large black container in his hands. Dangling from his hand holding the flowers was also a white plastic bag with what appeared to be some metal cans in it. He glanced at the others as he came in. "'Sup bitches? We getting Finneptitude all ready for his big date?"

Sam and Mike shrugged a bit as the blonde boy gestured towards the shoes. "That's about the best we're gonna get on his shoes. They're old leather and only shine up so much, but at least we got the dust and mud off. And what the fuck is that case?"

"Surprise for later." Puck said offhandedly as he looked over to Artie. "Tie tied?"

Artie tossed the red tie over to Puck, who caught it in his right hand immediately after dropping the black case by the desk. "Full-windsor knot. I just hope the tie is long enough for Finn's torso and he doesn't wind up looking like Yogi Bear or something."

Puck smirked. "Knowing Rachel she probably fucking loves Yogi Bear anyways. Once she sees Finn in a suit, pretty sure she won't care too much."

At that moment Finn emerged from the bathroom, his hair still a tangled mess, but his pants already on. "Fuck, I can't believe I'm doing this. I've never dressed up for anything outside of Glee and weddings or funerals. Why the fuck can't women just be happy with casual dates."

"That's kinda like asking why men can't just be happy watching rom-coms and musicals." Sam chuckled a bit. "Welcome to the Mars-Venus dynamic."

"What the fuck do planets have to do with dating?" Finn asked in confusion as he pulled on his button shirt. Sam covered his eyes and shook his head even while Artie was laughing behind him.

"Don't worry about that shit." Puck quickly waved a hand at the other two to shut them up before turning back to his best friend. "You just gotta focus, and hurry your ass up, because you want to be there first to greet her. _**Don't **_keep her waiting, because knowing Berry she'll get all fucking up your ass about not being serious or punctual or keeping people waiting or what-the-fuck ever."

"Time?" Finn called out as he slipped on the tie over his head and pulled it flush against his neck.

Mike turned the alarm clock on the nightstand until it was facing him. "Relax, Finn. You've got thirty minutes."

"Shit!" Finn shook his head and hopped back into the bathroom, pulling on his newly shined dress shoes as he did so. "Rachel's always ten minutes early, and it's already a fifteen minute walk there. I've only got five minutes if I want to beat her there."

Puck called after him. "Don't forget the aftershave!" He rolled his eyes as he heard a plastic bottle being knocked to the floor followed by another curse from the taller boy. "Fuck, Finnessa, how the hell do you keep getting girls lining up for you? You're a fucking disaster."

"I'm only a disaster about _**one **_girl." Finn countered from the bathroom, slapping his face with his hands to apply the aftershave. Puck crossed his arms and leaned against the outside wall by the bathroom door, shaking his head as Finn quickly pulled a brush and comb through his hair. After another minute of grooming, he sighed and tossed the toiletries on counter by the sink. "Well?"

"Fuck, dude. You did _**not **_just ask me if I thought you looked good enough for Berry, did you?"

"Hey, this whole fucking _**Finntervention **_is your idea." Finn adjusted his tie a bit before turning to the mohwaked boy.

"You sure as fuck aren't arguing. 'Sides, if nothing else I've learned you need a ginormous fucking shove to actually _**act **_on your feelings, so think of this as a favour." Puck sniffed and wiped his nose a bit. "Of course, keeping Berry the fuck _**away **_from St. Gigalo is a nice bonus."

"Preach!" Artie and Mike said in unison at the same time, still focused on the television and music writing respectively.

Sam grabbed the flowers off the table and offered them to Finn. "Remember, if she asks why; working date. You're on a working date. Small talk first. Don't make things too serious until near the end. You want to show her a nice time before you ask her to be back together with you. If you open up with that, nothing's gonna stop her from just turning around and coming back to the hotel."

Puck smirked. "Got that Finn? No premature word-vomit...or anything else, for that matter, 'kay?"

Finn sighed, swallowed, and then nodded and took the proffered flowers from Sam. He checked himself once more in the mirror before turning to the group. "Thanks guys."

"Fuck, no sentimental crap, either." Puck slapped Finn on the shoulder with the back of his hand again. "Save that shit for Rachel. I sure as hell don't appreciate it."

**XXXXX**

After Sam and Puck ensured Finn had gotten on the elevator without tripping over his own shoelaces, they returned to their room and closed the door. Puck grabbed the black case he had brought back earlier and tossed it on the bed. After releasing the latches, he grinned as he pulled out the 'surprise' and strapped it on. After flipping a couple switches and squeezing the two sides together, he smiled and then turned to the others to see looks of abject horror and disbelief on their faces. "What?"

"Where the _**fuck **_did you get that piece of shit?" Mike asked with wide eyes, his television watching all but forgotten at this point.

The mohawked boy made some adjustments on the instrument. "Downstairs. At the Italian eatery in the lobby."

Artie's eyes went wide from where he was sitting. "You mean where those two old guys perform for the customers?"

"Yeah, exactly. Just figured I'd borrow it for the evening and give it back later on." Puck squeezed the two sides of the accordion together and grinned when it sounded exactly as he wanted. He looked up to see the horrified expressions of the others hadn't yet disappeared. "What?"

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Sam asked before holding up a hand to stop Puck's reply. "Actually, no, don't answer that. I already know you are. But seriously, you thought stealing a fucking _**accordion **_was a good idea?"

"'M not _**stealing **_it, Sam. Fuck, don't be so dramatic. I'm just borrowing it for the night."

"Does the owner of the accordion know that?" Mike asked, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

Puck shrugged. "Well, he wasn't exactly there to ask, so...you know."

Puck ignored the groans and reactions of the other three and just figured none of them _**really**_ understood what was at stake here. He _**knew **_this date had to go perfectly for her to get back together with Finn. One thing she (well, _**all**_ women, really) lovedwas romantic music. If he could get some going in the background while Finn was making the final moves on Rachel at the end of a date which included Central Park, walking through the theatre district and eating at a famous Broadway restaurant, she would be fucking putty in Finn's hands. Well, okay, probably not _**fucking **_putty considering how much of a prude she was, but she certainly wouldn't object to being in Finn's arms again and making out. And that would make Finn and Rachel happy. And happy Finn and Rachel performed _**much **_better than mopey and wallowing Finn and Rachel. So, really, Puck figured he wasn't just doing this for his best friend to make up for his past mistakes, he was doing this for the _**whole team**_ to ensure they got into the Top Ten at Nationals.

Really, he was being a fucking hero here. And the guys were gonna give him grief for borrowing an accordion without asking? What the fuck world did _**they **_live in?

"How do you even know _**how **_to play accordion?" Artie asked, his face still registering shock and surprise at the large instrument currently strapped to Puck's torso.

"My Mom kept wanting me to learn piano, even after I asked for guitar lessons. She insisted before guitar I learn a more "classical" instrument. So, I chose accordion because it's kinda like piano but has way more buttons and gadgets on it, and also you can walk around while you play. After six months of sounding like a fucking jungle cat in heat, she switched me to guitar with no questions asked."

"So…how _**good **_is your accordion playing then?"

Puck made a face. "I can get buy, Wheels. All we have to do is sing a couple of songs when Finn walks Rachel back. You know for a fact they're gonna kiss; it's our job just to make sure the mood is set instead of it being all awkward and dopy like. And with Finn, awkward and dopy come real natural, so trust me, this can only help."

"It'll only help if we know what song to sing." Sam pointed out as he wiped his hands on his jeans to get rid of the cool ranch dressing spice from his Doritoes snack. "And I don't think polka's count as romantic music."

"Even if Weird Al is pretty boss on an accordion." Artie mentioned as an aside.

"Chillax, dudes. I've got this covered." He made a mock show of stretching out his arms and then cracking his knuckled high over his head before returning to the instrument in question. "Watch." He started with a few notes, then easily transitioned into one of the three songs he knew he could play properly on the instrument. He continued along, for the first verse and chorus, then spun, played the last few notes and stopped. "Well?" He looked up to the others. "What do you think?"

The three of them all had looks of dread and disgust plastered on their faces.

"Really?" Sam clarified, completely deadpanned. "Really? You want to create a romantic atmosphere and your first instinct is to play something from _**Lady and the Tramp**_?"

"How did you know that was from _**Lady and the Tramp?**_" Mike querried Sam with surprise.

"I have eight year old twin siblings who love Disney. How can I _**not **_know."

"I'm with Sam on this one, actually." Artie agreed, sharing a glance with the blonde boy. "The symbolism alone that you're implying could have potentially explosive consequences considering Rachel's extensive belief in metaphors."

"What symbolism?" Puck scoffed. "She's the Lady. Finn's the Tramp. It's pretty fucking obvious to me."

Mike rolled his eyes. "He means you're implying the two of them are _**dogs, **_imbecile."

The mohawked teen shrugged as he repositioned his fingers on the correct buttons. "We'll just say later that Finn asked us to play it. She'll pass it off as him being clueless and won't eve blame us for it." He chuckled a bit to himself before saying loud enough for the others to hear. "And people say _**I'm **_slow on the uptake."

**XXXXX**

He couldn't believe it.

He _**could not**_ fucking believe it.

He could not _**fucking **_believe what he was seeing.

Berry, standing there, leaning in every so slightly, waiting, it seemed, to finally get exactly what she had wanted since Christmas break. Finn, right in front of her, opening up, asking for another chance, doing all but going down on one knee, love and hope in his eyes.

She walked away.

She _**fucking walked away**_!

_Why, God! WHY THE FUCK DID YOU LET HER WALK AWAY?_

Puck had continued playing the accordion only because his brain was on autopilot and he had practiced this stupid fucking song for the last three hours, so knew it note for note by now. The other guys were still singing, but none of them had the straight view of what went down between Finn and Rachel like he did. And he couldn't believe his eyes.

What the hell was that? Why did she shake her head and not kiss that behemoth of a quarterback? She'd been all but _**begging **_for it for months. Had she actually, completely and totally moved on? Puck actually felt a slight lump in his throat in sympathy for his best friend. Finn was obviously so stunned, he didn't even give chase. Instead Finn watched her walk away, rejection plastered on his face as he swallowed down some tears.

Puck was quite literally ready to rip off the accordion and toss it in the nearest trash bin. _Fuck my life! _He thought sourly as he stood there shaking his head. The one time..._**the one fucking time**_ he finally steps up to the plate to apologize and make things right for his friend for everything between them the last couple years, the girl changes her tune! He had half a mind to go verbally bitch-slap that Jewish American Princess for the bait and switch shit she just pulled on Finn.

But then, sudden movement from Rachel's direction caught his eye.

She looked back.

She looked _**back! **_

_**She fucking LOOKED BACK AT FINN! **_

A slow grin spread across his face. Oh hell no, she _**so **_wasn't done with Frankenteen. Whether intentional or not, whether planned or not, whether she would admit it or not, Rachel was sending one blindingly obvious signal to his tall, lumbering friend. And not just sending it, she might as well climb onto a Broadway stage and sing it with every fucking ounce of volume and emotion that she had in that tiny little frame of hers.

_**COME CHASE ME! **_

Puck smiled hugely as Finn ambled over to the group with his head and eyes downcast. Mike, Artie and Sam by now had all clued into the fact that Rachel had taken off and stopped singing, each of them also looking disappointed. Sam and Mike clapped Finn on the shoulder in sympathy as Artie wheeled up to him. "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

"At least you tried, Finn. Better to have tried and failed than to not try at all." Sam reminded Finn as well.

"Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop." Mike smiled sadly.

Puck scoffed at all of them. "Cut the fucking quotation shit, ass-hats. Or better yet, add this little gem." Puck looked Finn right in the eye and grinned. "She wouldn't have looked back if she didn't want you to go after her."

Finn frowned slightly, but Puck could see the hope that had suddenly come alive in his eyes. "Really? You think?"

"Fuck yeah!" Puck nodded as he motioned with his head towards the direction Rachel had walked. "She's practically fucking _**begging **_you to keep trying. You didn't really think after six months of bullshit between you two it would be as easy as one date, did you?"

Finn rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, kind of embarrassed as he shrugged. "I...I was hoping it would be, but...well...you do kinda have a point."

Puck's face took on a slightly mischievous look and he motioned with his head towards a nearby convenience store. "Come on, bitches. We gotta stock up on fuel and strategize the next move for Finnocence here. Plus, it'll give Berry there time to get up to the girls room and have an Oprah session with Hummel or something."

The others followed Puck and Finn quickly to the convenience store. "Shouldn't we be writing songs for the competition? We don't have that much time left before we perform, and Mr. Schue expects the finished product by tomorrow for rehearsal. We can't just hide in the room and _**pretend**_ to work." Artie mentioned as he wheeled along beside them.

Finn suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and so fast Puck had to swing widely in a 360 degree turn to avoid colliding into his back. "The fuck, Gigantor. Don't just stop in the middle of the damn street!" He noticed the wheels and gears of an idea turning through Finn's mind behind his eyes. This simultaneously scared and excited Puck. Scared because it could be one of Finn's fucking moronic ideas that anyone with half a brain could tell him was horrible (Quinn had filled him in on the whole 'Drizzle' name calling thing. Like, _**seriously?**_). Then again, it could be one of those sheer acts of utter brilliance that seemed to strike Finn like lightning once every blue moon; the type that others would be complete fucking idiots to ignore (like the guys doing _**KISS**_ for the theatricality project).

Puck kept his eyes on the tall quarterback. "Finntessa?"

"Pretend?" Finn bobbed his head, seeming to keep time to a song the rest of the guys couldn't hear. He closed his eyes and his lips formed silent, unintelligible words as his head bobbed in rhythm. Suddenly he opened his eyes and a half-grin formed on his face.

"Not pretend. Pretend_**ing**_!" Finn suddenly straightened his shoulders and raised his fist for Puck to bump, which the mohawked boy returned without really knowing why.

"'S up, Finnster?" Puck asked, genuinely curious as to what had suddenly caused Finn's sudden mood swing. No matter how much he thought Finn had grown a vagina for all his sensitivity shit, he was pretty sure Finn didn't actually _**menstruate**_. He'd been wrong about a lot of things before, though, so he wouldn't put it past the tall quarterback to surprise him this way, too.

"I've got it! I just change a couple words around, and we can kill two bats with one rock. It's perfect!"

Sam, Mike, Artie and Puck all glanced at each other a bit before Artie spoke back to Finn. "You mean kill two birds with one stone?"

"Sure, that too." Finn offhandedly said as he walked straight into the convenience store and started gathering the usual snacks he always purchased. Puck watched as Finn grabbed some potato chips, beef jerky, a bottle of Coke, a Red Bull, and of course the ever present Sour Patch Kids. He spoke to the others as he gathered his items. "That song I was talkin' 'bout earlier. That duet for me and Rachel? I was having trouble on the chorus and couldn't think of a way to close it all together. But if I change a couple words around and throw in 'pretending', it's pretty much done. Then we practice it tomorrow and-"

"Whoa! Hold up, Lurch." Puck barred his way from one of the narrow convenience store aisles by standing in front of him with the accordion still strapped to his chest, and he was seriously gonna have to take this motherfucking instrument off soon because he'd been wearing it most of the day and his back was starting to hurt. How the fuck did that old geezer at the Italian place keep this on all night? "So, what, after everything that's happened to you guys tonight, you're gonna write a song about your un-quiet love or-"

"Unrequited." Artie corrected, shaking his head with his eyes cast up at the ceiling in annoyance.

Puck shoved a hand towards Arties face. "The-fuck-ever, dude..._**unrequited **_love and expect her practice it with you all day tomorrow? That's your big fucking plan?"

"Uh...well...yeah." Finn looked at him a bit worried as the other guys, who were all listening to the conversation from the next aisle over, collapsed their faces into the palms of their hands and shook their heads in defeat. "Why, you guys don't think it's a good idea."

The others all glanced at Puck as if begging him to save them from answering the question and hurting Finn's feelings. Puck, for his part, however, thought it out a bit. With most women, he'd say it was ludicrous to write a song about feelings and emotions and shit and then batter down that girl emotionally with the same words over and over and over again in a rehearsal, basically forcing her to accept how you felt about them. In fact, after one rehearsal, most normal women would probably run in sheer terror or put out a restraining order on the retard who tried to do that.

Rachel sure as fuck wasn't normal, though. And the way she was acting, maybe it would take a fucking battering ram of rehearsals and song lyrics to get the message through that thick Jewish American Princess skull of hers.

Puck grinned at his best friend. "I think that idea kicks fucking _**ass!" **_

**XXXXX**

"Fucking lightweight!" Puck shook his head as he held up Artie's arm by the wrist and then dropped it unceremoniously on the bed beside his passed out form. The other guys all chuckled a bit as they sat around the room, snacking on the munchies Finn had purchased and each of them nursing their second or third can of beer that Puck had acquired earlier. Thank God they just stopped asking how he always managed to do it. He could do it. It was a given when you were the Puckasauras! Artie, meanwhile, continued to snore from his place on the bed.

"So, Finn, what the hell are you gonna do if you manage to get Rachel back?" Mike asked before pulling off another piece of beef jerky. "I mean, you already know she wants Broadway and stuff. You gonna follow her out to New York, too?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Puck held up a hand to the Asian boy. "Hold onto your fucking chopsticks, there, Dim Sum. Let's make sure Finn actually gets her back first, then we can worry about his fucking moving out of state and shit, 'kay?" He didn't want to admit that the thought of his best friend hightailing it out of Lima for a girl got to him a bit. After all, they were like fucking _**brothers**_, and brothers were always there for each other, even if they did shit that pissed the other off ninety percent of the time. And he and Finn were each other's _**only **_brother (Kurt was cool and all, but c'mon, with his 'orientation' and 'sensibilities' he was really Finn's sister more than anything). The idea of them not around each other constantly kinda made him sad and he didn't need emotional shit like that in his life right now.

Finn shrugged a bit as he rewrote some of his lyrics. _**Again**_. It was only the third go around for this piece of music. Puck glanced over his friend's shoulder, noticing where Finn had stopped and started tapping the pencil while thinking of what came next. Finn had to seriously upgrade his English classes if he couldn't find a fucking rhyme for 'strong'. Thong, bong, long dong...fuck, all _**kinds **_of options came to mind.

"I'm not sure." Finn admitted finally, glancing up after he finished writing his next line. "I'd like to follow her out. Depends on if I get a scholarship or not."

"Aren't many schools in New York looking for football players." Sam mentioned as he pulled back another sip of beer.

Finn shook his head. "Not football."

The guys all simultaneously stopped eating and stared at him in shock. "You fucking _**don't **_want a football scholarship now?" Puck asked.

Sighing, Finn put his lyrics up on the bed he was leaning against and grabbed his beer. "Have you checked into the stats for people getting them, man? It's small, like two percent of all players in high school, and most of the money is divided between several players. If I'm not getting a full ride scholarship then I gotta be more provocative in the ones I apply for."

The guys cast confusing looks at each other before Mike snapped his fingers and laughed a bit. "Not provocative. Pro-active!"

"Sorry, fine. _**Pro-active**_ then. Bottom line; I have to apply to more than just football."

Sam shook his head a bit. "I hope you're not thinking of applying to academic ones."

"Well, I might, but I'd have to take more high school courses first. Or do some over again." Finn pulled at some more beer and then continued with his lyrics, pulling them down. "I kinda fucked myself by not taking this shit seriously to begin with."

"Fuck, man." Puck scoffed at him. "You're the fucking quarterback of your high school football team! What the fuck you care if you get low marks? You can have almost anything you want right now with a snap of your fingers."

Finn stopped writing. Slowly, deliberately, he looked up at his friend with a serious face, and Puck saw sadness and heart ache etched on his face. "Really, Puck? You really think I can have whatever I want that easily?" He leaned forward a bit before he spoke again. "What I want is Rachel. How well do you think being quarterback is working for me right now?"

Puck and the others were stunned silent at the almost _**wise**_ words which had come from their friend's mouth. It was a deeper level of thinking and understanding that Finn had only demonstrated to Puck once before; beginning of sophomore year when Finn refused to flip Artie in the port-a-pottie and threw Puck's own words back in his face. At that time, Puck would have laughed at anyone who had told him within a few short weeks he'd be there right alongside his friend, singing and dancing his heart out on the cheesiest fucking songs you could think of.

Well, he kinda _**had**_ to join to even out the group's dancing if nothing else. Finn's dancing was beyond atrocious.

His tall friend shook his head and leaned back against the bed, slightly sullen. "I spent a lot of time these last six months just angry and dicking around because I thought I could go back to how things used to be. Just be the big man at school and not worry 'bout never getting out of Lima. But I can't go back. I can't be that guy anymore. I can't..." Finn paused as he looked up at the ceiling, grasping for the right words. "I can't just, like, ignore that I want more now. I want more for my future. Even if it's in Ohio, I don't want to just exist in some dumb, stupid, go-nowhere life. I want to be able to look back and know I did something good and it meant something to more people than just me." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "And yeah, I sound like a fucking girl saying that shit, but it's true. And _**Rachel **_is the reason I want that, because other than my Mom, she's the first one to actually believe I _**could **_do all that. And there's no going back now, with or without her. But I'd rather it be with. And I'll take her for however long I can have her because she makes me feel alive and..." Finn exhaled noisily and rubbed a hand over his face. "Whatever. I just want more, so I'm gonna try and get it."

The mohawked boy was speechless after hearing Finn's rambling discourse, and for the first time he knew, for a fact, that Finn had outgrown him. He never would have admitted that to anyone out loud, but he knew in his head and his heart that emotionally and mentally, Finn was now in a completely different head space. He'd changed from a boy who was goofy and loyal and not-completely-bright to a guy (he couldn't use the term 'man' yet) who understood his faults and knew the clock was ticking on his future.

And the catalyst for all of those changes all centered around one tiny, brown eyed Jewish American Princess.

_Well, fuck! Now I just _**have **_to get them back together. _

After another moment's silence during which all the guys drank some more of their beer, Puck suddenly sprang from his feet and reached under the bed on which Artie was still passed out. He practically ripped the guitar from the case before seating himself in the chair and placing the instrument on his lap. He grabbed the lyrics from Finn without asking and put them on the table in front of himself. "'Kay, Finane, show me whatcha got."

Finn looked up tiredly from his spot on the floor. "You...you want to sing the song _**now**_?"

Puck tuned his guitar as he spoke. "Sure. Dry run. You could use the practice right? Besides, I wanna see how this fucking 'masterpiece' of yours sounds." He motioned with his head to both Sam and Mike. "You guys join in on the chorus, 'kay?" The two boys nodded and also came to their feet, grabbing Finn's second copy of the lyrics and reading them over.

Finn smiled at his friends before he slowly climbed to his feet. "Fine, if you want. But _**you're**_ singing Rachel's parts."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We both know who's gone and grown the fucking vagina around here anyway."

**XXXXX**

Silence.

Utter and complete silence.

Puck stared at the back of the stage, waiting for the music to start up and signal the beginning of the group number that was supposed to begin mere seconds after Finn and Rachel finished their duet. He had normally counted three or four seconds between the songs.

He was now at six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

_**WHAT. THE. FUCK! **_

Then he heard it. Ever so lightly and barely audible from where he stood, it screamed out like a fucking beacon to a king with the ladies such as himself.

Lips pulling apart. An ever so slight gasp of air from two people.

They were kissing! _**On stage! IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE! **_

_**FUCK! YES! **_

Puck couldn't have concealed the grin that formed on his face if he'd tried.

_Finn Hudson. You are _**THE** _fucking man!_

_After myself, of course. _

**XXXXX**

"So, you think eggs in the parking lot is good enough, or should we go for the full effect of raw, bloody meat?" Santana asked him as the group stood in the lobby of their hotel, waiting for the shuttle bus to take them back to the airport. Their bags were all packed and waiting in the designated area, and each of the group's members were separated into various groups and cliques they all felt more comfortable in. Finn had gone to the washroom, which left Puck alone for Santana to approach. _Just my fucking luck, too, _he thought.

Puck furrowed his eyebrows together as he looked at the Latino ex-cheerleader. "What the fuck you on about now, Lopez?"

The girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, causing the leather in her jacket to creek a bit from the movements. "Our _**Co-Captains**_!" She bit out harshly, all four syllables of the words laced with venom and disgust. "They blew our chance to be in the Top 10. We could've been vying for a National title if those two little lovey-dovies hadn't decided to try and suck each other's faces off in front of our audience. I say we find the juiciest, sloppiest pieces of beef possible and strike in the parking lot. Show them the consequences of not thinking 'bout the _**team **_before themselves. We could make slushie facials seem like a welcome dessert afterwards."

Puck stared hard at her. "Seriously? You wanna give 'em a Code Red just because they _**kissed**_?"

"Damn straight. Tired of all their fucking drama anyway."

"Nice of you to think that way 'bout our _**team**_-mates." Puck shook his head and turned away, making a show of looking for the shuttle bus.

"Kissing on the stage in front of everyone? What the fuck was that? They _**knew **_that kinda shit wasn't allowed even if it was scripted. Says so in the damn rules. They're not our team-mates when they sabotage us out of fucking nowhere, Puck."

Puck smirked as he glanced back at her. "Yeah, and gee, if anyone would know _**anything **_about sabotaging team-mates it would be you, wouldn't it?"

Santana was silent and her eyes suddenly cast down to the floor before swallowing. "I don't-"

"Aww, don't even _**dare **_to fucking deny it, San. You threw that shit about you and Finn right in Rachel's face _**just **_to piss her off. And fuck, wouldn't you know, it worked. Look at the fucking fallout it caused. We barely got past Sectionals."

Her eyes narrowed and bored right through Puck's own before she spoke. "I'm not the only one standing here who had something to do with _**that **_breakup, Mr. Can't-Keep-It-Under-Wraps."

The mohawked boy nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I was a dick. But at least this time I can look in a mirror and know I stopped myself. And know I tried to help my friend when he wanted the love of his life _**back**_ in his life." He leaned in a bit and gently poked her in the shoulder. "What did _**you **_do to help?"

"Oh, so would should all just genuflect and start calling you Saint Puck?" Santana fired back sarcastically.

Puck shook his head a bit as he grabbed his and Finn's bags upon seeing the shuttle bus pull into the hotel drop off zone. "I ain't no fucking saint, Santana. I just grew up a bit. You should try it someday."

He turned towards the bus and began walking, trying to put as much distance between him and the vengeful Latino as possible since she was _**seriously **_starting to piss him off. And why she was making him angry, he didn't know other than he was tired of her forever trying to push people down. As funny as it was to think of it that way, he wasn't _**down **_with that anymore. He'd felt it too many times himself in life, and doing the same to others no longer gave him the same high it used to. In fact, now it seemed the exact opposite gave him that high.

_Fuck, did I really just _**think **_that? _Maybe he really _**had**_ grown up. He thought he'd just thrown that line at Santana to shut her the fuck up.

It was kinda scary to think he might have actually meant it.

**XXXXX**

Though his seat was supposed to be the same row as Tina and Mike, Puck sure as fuck wasn't going to be caught anywhere near _Asian Fusion _and quickly swapped seats with Mr. Schuester who was originally beside Finn. Mike and Tina cast spiteful glances at him as he got up with a smirk on his face and Mr. Schuester sat down beside them. Fuck it, those two deserved to be chaperoned for once, especially after he walked into the Glee choir room one day to grab his forgotten sheet music and had to enjoy listening to them banging away in the instrument closet. He had trouble retrieving his guitar for fucking _**weeks **_after listening to their little sexcapade.

Puck folded himself into the seat beside Finn, who was fiddling absently with a snow globe of some kind. The mohawked boy raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? A fucking snow globe? Couldn't you have picked up a lame-ass t-shirt or something like the rest of us?"

The taller boy shrugged a bit and looked across and down the plane a bit before turning back and speaking quietly. "It...I was gonna give it to Rachel at the end of the trip. She has, like, sixteen of these in her room, one for every trip to New York she's ever taken with her Dads. I was hoping she could add this to it, but after yesterday, well..." Finn blew out a breath and shrugged again. "Not sure it'll happen."

He swallowed down a touch of sympathy for his friend and leaned his head back a bit, looking up to the lights of the airplane. He had wanted to talk to Finn about this earlier, but it seemed like such a fucking pussy thing to be doing with your best friend. Like, really, they were supposed to be fucking studs and hanging out while drinking beer, hitting on chicks and blasting each other with Xbox and all the fuck other kinda dumb guy shit that goes along with being bros. But Puck couldn't shake how cool it seemed to him that Finn already had a grasp on what he wanted for his future. Not, like, career ambition or anything, but at least he knew he needed to be better at school, and knew what the likelihood of a full ride scholarship was and just – fuck, okay, at least he had some kind of _**idea**_ of what his next step should be. Puck had never even really thought about it until that conversation with Finn two nights ago. And damnit, as fucking faggy as it sounded, he kinda wanted to know what his next step should be, too.

"So, dude." Puck chewed the inside of his cheek a bit before leaning in and talking a bit more quietly. "What do you want to be when you grown up?"

_Fuck, seriously Noah? You can't think of anything better to start than THAT?_

Finn just smirked, his eyes telling Puck all too well that he remembered how the two of them asked each other that in elementary school when playing in the playground. Only Finn instinctively knew, this time, Puck was being way more serious about the topic than he had before.

"I'm...I'm not entirely sure." Finn admitted, but he pulled out his laptop and opened it up, tapping a few keys and pulling up a college application that Puck assumed he had downloaded. "But I was thinking maybe something in education. I mean, I love football, and I love music, and, you know, since I probably won't ever get to play them for a living, I could at least _**teach **_them. Mr. Schue's done a lot for me and-" Finn swallowed, and Puck, for once, didn't have the urge to roll his eyes at the sensitivity of his tall friend. Once more composed, Finn gestured to the screen. "I'd need to take a couple high school classes again over the summer, but if I try hard next year, I think I could pull out the grades they need." He turned back to Puck. "What do _**you **_want to be when you grow up, man?"

"Meh, dunno." Puck settled back into the airliner chair, leaning it back a bit to make it more comfortable. "'Sides, much as I wanna get the fuck out of Lima too, I can't just abandon my Ma that way. Hannah's hit that stupid pre-teen age where girls go on the rag and think their mom is out to ruin their fucking lives or something. Wouldn't feel right just leaving them alone to claw each other's skin off."

The taller boy nodded before turning back to his laptop computer. "Still, gotta think of something. Like, really, if that _**wasn't **_the case, or when Hannah grows out of it, then what?"

Puck scratched his cheek, chewing the inside in thought, before turning back to his friend. "Not sure. I really love music and stuff too, but fuck, I know I don't wanna teach it to kids all fucking day." He smirked. "Besides, I like drinking and being up all night too. Doubt that would work well for a teacher."

Finn grinned a bit. "Might all work for a bar owner, though."

"Yeah, 'cause I have lots of spare cash around to start that up." Puck shook his head in annoyance.

"No, maybe not." Finn agreed. "But you know, they do have business courses and stuff in college. Might be good to first _**learn how **_to start and run something like that, right?."

He rolled his eyes at his friend, but more out of annoyance for how totally _**awesome **_that idea was rather than because Finn said something he didn't like. "Sure, fine, Finfant, but even if I wanted to, I gotta wait, like, four years before I could even think of _**working **_for a bar. So immabe, what, some low class waiter or dishboy in some lame-ass restaurant 'till then?"

Finn chuckled. "Yeah, that would be horrible, wouldn't it? I mean, shit, you might learn about more than just serving drinks. You might learn about the kitchen, how and why drinks and food are priced, how to work a menu and all kinds of things you'd never need to run your own bar, right? And fuck, getting paid _**while **_learning...I mean who'd be cool with that?" Finn grinned again. "You're right. Lame idea. Totally."

"You're really fucking enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Enjoying what?"

"Talking down to me 'cause for once yours is the voice of reason and smarts. We both know it don't happen often."

"Don't worry. I won't let it get to my head."

"Good."

The two of them sat in amiable silence for a few minutes before Puck again rolled his eyes and slapped Finn's shoulder with the back of his hand. "'Kay, fine. Hit me with where."

"Where what?"

"Colleges, dumbass. Where I can go for business and shit like that. 'Cause opening a bar in Lima that's not the same as every other fucking watering hole in that dump would be pretty fuckin' boss. Especially if I can get it big enough to host a 'Ladies Night'."

Finn shook his head in disbelief, even as he started searching through colleges in the Ohio area cross referenced with business degrees and diplomas. "Do you _**ever **_think about anything else?"

"Hey, I'm just _**starting **_to think about what I want to do for the rest of my life. Let's not rock the boat _**too**_ much."

"Figured you always knew what you wanted to _**do**_. Anything upright with two boobs and a smile."

Puck shrugged. "If they're willing, and the smile is optional."

Finn smirked and after a few more keystrokes, presented to him the webpages for Ohio school business degrees and diplomas. The mohawked boy scanned the page and his eyes shot up in surprise. "Ohio State has a campus in Lima?"

"And even better," Finn said as he pulled down a menu on the side of the screen, "one of the programs they offer is Business. You wouldn't even have to leave home, man."

"At twenty grand a year, I wouldn't be able to afford to leave home. Shit, you think I have that just lying around?"

The quarterback shrugged. "It's kinda an investment, man. Like, if the bar thing didn't work for you, you could use your degree to, like, work in some big office tower in Columbus or Cincinnati or wherever. And yeah, maybe it would cost a lot, but if it helps you make more money over the next forty years, it could be worth it, you know?"

"You get all this b.s. education crap from Rachel?"

Finn shook his head. "No, Mr. Schue. And since he went to college and all, I figured he might be worth listening to, right?"

Puck stared hard at his friend, who turned back to the laptop screen. Finn was making far too much sense lately, and had far too many ideas and far too much advice on this shit. The trouble was, Puck couldn't really find fault in _**any **_of it. His mind was already starting to list the possibilities inherent with a business degree or diploma. A bar? A restaurant? A combination thereof? His pool cleaning business could actually make money instead of just getting him laid. He could be some power big-wig for a giant corporation. Hell, he might even be able to work in a government agency of some kind, somehow. How fucking ironic would _**that **_be.

It would open up a lot of fucking doors that he didn't even know to look at yet. And it gave him something pretty cool; ideas for a future. And there were such things as student loans.

"I think I'd have to really fucking buckle down in my senior year to qualify for any of that higher education stuff, though." Puck sighed a bit in defeat. "I'm not sure I'm cut out to be more academic."

"No shit." Finn snorted. "But hey, I never thought I could get up and sing in front of New York city, either. And yet I did." He smiled a bit and shrugged. "Sometimes you can surprise yourself."

Puck looked around to see if any of the other Gleeks on the plane were paying attention to their conversation, but they all seemed off in their own little worlds or cliques. And the one person who he figured would _**definitely **_be watching with her big brown eyes was actually (for once) staring out the window of her row, listening to her iPod. Puck smiled a bit and turned back to Finn. "Think if we go in on this together, we might just build up enough marks for us _**both **_to get to college?"

Finn grinned at him. "It's always easier when you don't have to walk alone." He too, cast a gaze over at Rachel, then his face dropped in defeat and he sadly shook his head again. "I really fucked it up with her, didn't I? Cost her the chance to shine at Nationals because I couldn't keep myself from kissing her right then and there, even when I knew the rules. It just didn't seem to matter at the time."

Puck shrugged one shoulder. "Takes two to tango, dude. Not like she was pushing you away."

"Still..." Finn swallowed again, casting his eyes up. "Not sure she even wants me around right now. This year's been so fucking fucked up."

"No shit." Puck responded in kind, causing Finn to chuckle. "Maybe you just need to cool it for a bit, you know? You've chased her all through New York. She knows how you feel. When we get back, let her come to you. Give you some time to think 'bout things."

Finn nodded as he mulled his friend's words over. "Makes sense, I guess. But what if she doesn't?"

Puck snorted. "She will. And keep that snow globe on you. Women love all that 'you remembered' bullshit." He raised his hand for a genuine handshake. "So hey, two of us cool again?"

Finn didn't even hesitate or think twice. He smiled warmly and formally shook Puck's hand. "Yeah, we're cool."

_Thank fucking GOD! _Puck thought as the two released each other's hands and turned towards the front of the plane. Suddenly, everything seemed right between the two friends; all past feuds and betrayals and pain caused by each other to each other was washed under the bridge, and unlike the tentative peace they formed the year before, this time there seemed to be absolutely no underlying tension between them. Puck sighed contentedly before closing his eyes a bit and trying to allow sleep to overtake him.

"Still gonna kick your ass in Halo, though." Finn muttered, not looking at him.

"Yeah, right. You're totally Finncapable of doing any such thing."

"Friday night?"

"Damn straight. Bring the pizza."

"Bring the beer."

Silence settled over them again as they both settled back and closed their eyes. Puck cracked one eye open to make sure Finn was still trying to sleep before closing it again and attempting to drift off.

"Ass-munch."

"Fuck-tard."

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews aren't just appreciated, they're encouraged! :) <strong>


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